April 15, 2018 MALIBU, California " A Pepperdine women's soccer team that had one of the best seasons in school history last fall picked up a team-high four awards at Pepperdine's annual student-athlete awards ceremony on Sunday night.
Dubbed the "PEP Espys", the event was put on by student-athletes and held in Elkins Auditorium. Adria Johnson of the women's volleyball team and Weston Barnes of the men's volleyball team were the primary hosts for the evening.
The five traditional awards went to Kevin Maeda of cross country/track (both the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Male Wave of the Year), Maddie Dilfer of women's beach volleyball (Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year), Adria Johnson of women's volleyball (Maurice Hilliard Award) and Megan House of women's basketball (Female Wave of the Year).
The Maurice Hilliard Award, given in honor and memory of Pepperdine's late athletic chaplain, goes to a student-athlete that exemplifies the attributes of Christian faith, character and leadership. The Wave of the Year, presented by Pepperdine's Waves Leadership Council, honors student-athletes for outstanding contributions in spirit and service to the athletics program and the university community.
The first-ever Anchor Award was given to a member of the Pepperdine community for their outstanding support of Athletics, and the first recipient was Brian Fasel.
Student-athletes, coaches and staff voted on the remainder of the awards, which are all in their fourth year of existence. They cover events held over the last 12 months, dating back to April 2017. Here were those winners:
- Female Athlete in a Starring Role: Bri Visalli, women's soccer
- Male Athlete in a Starring Role: Sahith Theegala, men's golf
- Female Athlete in a Supporting Role: Michelle Maemone, women's soccer
- Male Athlete in a Supporting Role: Mark Urban, men's water polo
- Female Breakout Athlete of the Year: Brielle Preece, women's soccer
- Male Breakout Athlete of the Year: Sam Paur, men's water polo
- Female Newcomer of the Year: Brook Bauer, women's beach volleyball
- Male Newcomer of the Year: Colbey Ross, men's basketball
- Best Moment of the Year: women's soccer beating Cal State Fullerton on Bri Visalli's late goal in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament
- Best Upset of the Year: women's tennis beating Vanderbilt in the semifinals of the 2018 National Team Indoor Championships
Nine different programs collected at least one award at this year's ceremony.
